Sit Back and Let These Tested Robots Clean Your Pool (2024)

Our Top Picks

The Aiper Scuba S1 is our favorite robotic pool cleaner because it provides excellent performance without any complicated setup or operation procedures. It’s highly effective at cleaning both walls and floors, and the filter basket is big enough that we never had to stop a cleaning cycle to empty it.

We used this robotic cleaner to clean our 10 x 40-foot pool twice a week for three months, and it provided the same excellent performance each time, covering every part of the floor and the walls and leaving no visible debris behind. The first time, when it had to deal with a lot of silt and dirt from construction, it took about two hours, but we observed subsequent cleanings to be much faster, at about 90 minutes each.

This pool cleaner doesn’t have smart features like Wi-Fi or smartphone connectivity, but it works just fine without them. It uses Aiper’s WavePath 2.0 smart navigation technology to efficiently clean pools up to 1,600 square feet by scrubbing in methodical parallel lines instead of the randomized pathing used by many other robotic pool cleaners. This technology is also used by the more expensive Aiper Scuba S1 Pro (our best for large pools pick), which also has Wi-Fi and smartphone connectivity if that's what you're looking for.

We did find it a bit difficult to remove this cleaner from the pool. It weighs about 20 pounds dry, which isn't even close to the heaviest on this list (the Aiper Scuba S1 Pro tips the scales at 34.2 pounds), but it does feel very heavy once it’s full of water.

It does have a quick water-evacuation function, but lifting it out of the pool with a pool pole was a bit of a struggle. We had to lift it to the waterline, hold it there, allow it to expel water, and then finish removing it. However, we like that it has a hook that works with any standard pool pole, so we didn’t need to go out and buy one. Once the water drained out, we didn't have any trouble carrying it around. We also love that it has never gotten stuck during a cleaning cycle over three months of testing, which would require us to move it.

_{Pool Type: In-ground | Cleaning Cycle Time: 150 minutes | Cleaning Coverage: Walls, floors | Brush Type: Silicone brush | Filter Type: Filter basket | Smart Capabilities: No}

The Wybot WY1102 performs well in both in-ground and above-ground pools and is really easy to use, which is why it’s our favorite budget pick. It cleans flat-bottomed pools very well and even handled the slight incline in our pool (3 feet on one end to 5 on the other) without any issues, even though Wybot designed it with level floors in mind. We've used it every few weeks for three months, and it works consistently each time.

This robotic pool cleaner costs about $400 less than the Aiper Scuba S1 (our best overall pick), which is a huge discount. It can’t clean walls and has a shorter battery life, but it’s perfect for smaller pools and lighter-duty work where a more expensive unit isn’t necessary. This robot also works in above-ground pools, which the Aiper Scuba S1 doesn’t.

We were impressed with how well this robot handled our 12 x 30-foot kidney-shaped pool, completely cleaning the floor in less than an hour. That’s about the limit of its battery life (it can only run about 50 to 60 minutes on a charge), so while the battery was more than adequate for our pool, it could be a source of annoyance if you have a significantly bigger pool.

This robot is very lightweight at just 7.9 pounds, which makes it easy to get in and out of the pool. That's less than half the weight of many of our favorite pool robots, which really helps when lifting its waterlogged frame out of the pool after a cleaning cycle. Some robot pool cleaners are so heavy that they almost require two sets of hands to lift out, but that isn’t an issue with the Wybot Osprey 200.

_{Pool Type: In-ground and above-ground | Cleaning Cycle Time: 50 - 60 minutes | Cleaning Coverage: Floors | Brush Type: Silicone rolling brushes | Filter Type: Basket | Smart Capabilities: None}

If you have a large pool or just want a pool cleaner with all the bells and whistles, the Dolphin Nautilus CC Supreme Wi-Fi Operated Pool Cleaner is a worthwhile upgrade. During several months of testing, we were impressed by its thorough cleaning abilities. Unlike less-expensive models, this robot also cleans the pool’s walls and waterline, ensuring every inch is free from dirt and algae. Its two-filter system captures all manner of debris and keeps it out of the water.

This high-end pool cleaner is suitable for in-ground pools up to 50 feet long, and it needs about one and a half to three and a half hours to complete a cleaning cycle, depending on your selection.

This pool cleaner is equipped with powerful scrubbing brushes—three to be exact—that provide a deeper clean, and smart navigation software scans the pool to create an efficient cleaning route. The tangle-free cable prevents the unit from getting stuck, and the unit features an automatic weekly timer and an LED indicator light that tells you when the filter is full.

Although this model is effective at climbing walls and cleaning the waterline, we did note that it cannot clean steps that are narrower than the cleaner. However, it did manage to clean a wider sun ledge.

We enjoyed using this robot’s corresponding app to keep up with its cleaning progress and see its location in the pool. We also tried this robot’s pre-programmed standard and enhanced cleaning times and noted that the cleaner was able to get a pool about 95 and 99 percent clean, respectively. For the remaining debris, we used the remote steering to direct the robot to the small spots it missed throughout the pool.

There's a slight delay between the app and the cleaner, which makes spot-cleaning and catching leftover debris more challenging. However, we've found its design to be a complete game changer during pool season, making it worth the high expense in our book.

_{Pool Type:In-ground | Cleaning Cycle Time:1.5 - 3.5 hours | Cleaning Coverage:Floor, walls, waterline | Brush Type:Triple scrubbing | Filter Type:Extra large twin cartridges | Smart Capabilities:Yes}

During our initial testing period, we noted that the Dolphin Explorer E50 Robotic Pool Cleaner seemed to be the Ferrari of pool cleaners, and its price tag certainly reflects that. After six months of daily use, we still love this corded pool cleaner. It's proven to be powerful, effective, and easy to use. In fact, this cleaner has had no problem removing any debris.

Because of its corded status, it doesn't require charging, but that does limit its capabilities to a 50-foot-long pool. However, it's compatible with all pool liners, including gunite, fiberglass, and vinyl.

To start this pool cleaner, you plug it in and connect the smartphone app, which is very user-friendly. From there, you can select from several cleaning modes, including floor-only, walls-only, or a combination. There's also a quick-clean mode if you don't need the entire pool to be deep cleaned. Our favorite feature has to be the remote monitoring and cycle alerts, which pop up once the cleaner has finished a cycle. You can then instruct it to float to the surface of the pool for super easy retrieval.

On top of being able to clean walls and waterlines, this pool cleaner also cleaned a set of stairs (although it did get stuck once on the stairs). No matter the size of the debris, it picked up everything in its path, and it has a large enough filter basket that it doesn't need to be emptied mid-cycle. Once you are ready to empty the filter basket, a button on the unit pops the basket up and open, so you can easily pick it up and dump it out.

We recognize this pool cleaner is one of the most expensive options on our list, but if you want a cleaner that can be left unmonitored and easily navigates the nuances of most pools, it's worth the investment. Given its performance on a variety of debris and its thoughtful in-app features, the Dolphin Explore E50 is a busy pool owner's dream cleaning tool.

_{Pool Type: In-ground | Cleaning Cycle Time: 60 minutes or 180 minutes | Cleaning Coverage: Floor, walls, and waterline | Brush Type: Rubber | Filter Type: Top-load filter basket | Smart Capabilities: Yes}

For the ultimate pool-cleaning convenience, the Polaris VRXIQ+ is Wi-Fi enabled, allowing you to control and schedule it right from the iAquaLink app. Using your smartphone, you can start or stop the cleaner, create customized schedules, and even see when the filter needs cleaning. This high-end robot cleans even the largest in-ground pools, thanks to its 70-foot tangle-reducing cable. It’s important to note we tested this cleaner in an above-ground pool, so we could not test its wall-, step-, or waterline-cleaning abilities.

All in all, though, we were impressed by this cleaner’s capacity, which easily handled the pool’s floor, which was covered in algae and leaves. It also learns your pool's size and dimensions during the first automatic cleaning cycle, so that it can further enhance and expedite cleaning during subsequent cycles.

The four-wheel drive helps this cleaner clean the walls, floor, waterline, and even steps. Thanks to its rear water-cleaning system, it easily blows debris off stairs and out of tight corners so the machine can suck it up.

Although this model is more expensive, innovative features like a convenient storage caddy and the patented Easy Lift removal system, which drives the robot up the wall to be easily removed, make this cleaner worth the splurge. While this cleaner is quite heavy at 21 pounds, we thought it was still relatively easy to lift out of the pool thanks to the Easy Lift technology, which aids in most of the exertion of lifting from the bottom of the pool.

After experimenting with its cleaning capability in a hot tub, we'd advise that this model be used in larger pools, as it's not great at navigating smaller spaces.

_{Pool Type:In-ground | Cleaning Cycle Time:Not listed | Cleaning Coverage:Floor, walls, steps, waterline | Brush Type:Dual blade | Filter Type:Extra large filter canister | Smart Capabilities:Yes}

The Aiper Scuba S1 Pro is a scaled-up version of the Aiper Scuba S1 (our pick for the best overall robotic pool cleaner), which is why we recommend it for large pools. It would likely be our best overall recommendation, but the cleaning coverage, run time, and basket size are more than you really need for a smaller pool, and it costs quite a bit more than the Scuba S1.

Designed for pools as large as 2,150 square feet, this cleaner impressed us from the start, with no assembly required and a short one-hour initial battery charge time. It connected to our Wi-Fi network without any issues and paired to the Aiper phone app, which we used to monitor the charge level. It only works with 2.4 GHz Wi-Fi, but it worked just fine on our Orbi mesh network that uses both 2.4 and 5 GHz bands.

When we dropped the Scuba S1 Pro into our large gunite pool, it slowly sank to the bottom, oriented itself, and got to work. For the first time, we started out with a full cleaning cycle, which saw it scrub the pool walls before switching to the floor. On the floor, it picked up fine sand that we couldn’t see from above, along with bamboo leaves and other debris.

It got stuck for a while on a built-in corner seat in the deep end and again on the wedding cake-style stairs, but it eventually freed itself, got back to cleaning, and didn’t get stuck in those same places during subsequent cleanings. When it was done, it stopped near a wall, and we were able to lift it out with the included hook that connected easily to a pool pole we already had.

During the following weeks, we also tried out the wall-only, floor-only, and waterline cleaning modes, and they all worked very well. We were especially impressed with the waterline mode, which saw the Scuba S1 Pro work horizontally along the waterline scrubbing all the way. We saw an immediate improvement in a few spots and signs that repeated cleanings might buff out unsightly waterline markings on the tile.

Cleaning the filter is straightforward and easy. The filter bucket and fine filter cartridge are both concealed beneath a panel on the top of the cleaner, and the basket is huge—enough to handle multiple cleanings of our pool without filling up.

The app worked well, but functionality was limited by the fact that the Scuba S1 Pro loses connection when it enters the water. We also experienced an annoying situation where we switched the cleaning mode on the cleaner itself, and then it switched back to the setting from the app before we put it back in the water. Aiper has a communications buoy available in some territories that allows the app to connect even when it’s underwater, but we were unable to test that feature.

If you have a large in-ground pool and want a trouble-free cleaning experience, we think that the Aiper Scuba S1 Pro has the cleaning coverage, runtime, and cleaning power to handle it.

_{Pool Type: In-ground | Cleaning Cycle Time: 180 minutes | Cleaning Coverage: 2,150 square feet | Brush Type: Dual PVC rollers | Filter Type: Dual (bucket, cartridge) | Smart Capabilities: Yes}

The Aiper Scuba E1 is our favorite above-ground pool cleaning robot because it has a large coverage area, efficient cleaning action, and excellent filtration. We like how easy it is to lift up and over the edge of the pool (it weighs about 17 pounds), and that it automatically returns to the edge for retrieval when it’s done. It also has a safety bumper, which is key for preventing damage to above-ground pool liners.

We love how easy this pool cleaner is to set up and use, which is something it shares with other Aiper models like the Aiper Scuba S1 (our best overall recommendation). It’s ready to go right out of the box without any complicated setup. It does need an initial charge before you can get started, which took about four hours, but there wasn’t any complicated assembly or setup process.

When we dropped this robot cleaner into our 12 x 24-foot steel-frame vinyl pool, it sank effortlessly to the bottom and got started right away. It lacks the smart route planning of more expensive options like the Aiper Scuba S1 Pro (our best for large pools pick), but the randomized cleaning path was extremely effective. It picked up all the debris we could see, and we also found small debris in the filter basket that we hadn’t been able to see from above. Emptying the filter basket was easy (it lifts out from the top of the cleaner). The ultra-fine filter cartridge was also easy to access, but there weren’t any visible debris on it.

The controls are very intuitive, and we were able to operate it without even needing to reference the manual. The manual does include clear instructions, though, along with a QR code that leads to a series of videos that weren’t as helpful (including a 21-minute teardown video that might be helpful for future repairs but didn’t seem necessary for a new owner.)

This pool cleaner is ideal for all sorts of above-ground pools, and we also think it would do a great job cleaning in-ground pools that don’t have angled floors. It isn’t designed to handle inclines or stairs, and while it did try to climb the walls of our pool a little bit, that isn’t a feature it has.

_{Pool Type: Above-ground | Cleaning Cycle Time: 100 minutes | Cleaning Coverage: 1,100 square feet | Brush Type: Silicone roller brush | Filter Type: Dual (basket, cartridge) | Smart Capabilities: No}

Finding an above-ground pool cleaner that effectively cleans coves, as well as the floor, can be a challenge. We were impressed by the sheer suction power of the Polaris 7000 Above Ground Pool Cleaner, which disturbs the surface of the water when in use. We love that you can easily program it to clean at specific intervals and times.

It’s capable of cleaning a 30-foot-wide pool and has a 40-foot-long cable for extra maneuvering around corners and obstacles on the pool deck. Plus, the only setup required was attaching the power hose to the cleaner. The rubber tracks also give this pool cleaner an edge in gripping the slope of a cove around your pool's circumference.

We experienced heavy rain between the testing phases of this cleaner, and we were particularly impressed with the clear and thorough path that this cleaner cut through a significant amount of algae at the bottom of a pool.

Although this cleaner is powerful, we wish there were a better way to know when it was finished with a cleaning cycle. The only status symbol is a small red light on the control panel, which turns off once the cycle has been completed. We also periodically stopped other household tasks to check on the cleaner’s movement and the status light.

This cleaner features an easy-to-clean filter canister with a transparent lid, so you can easily tell when it has become full of debris. However, over four months of testing, we did notice that debris became slightly more challenging to rinse out of the basket, forcing us to remove smaller debris pieces and hair by hand.

We also discovered that hair easily becomes tangled in the debris container, so be mindful if you like to share your pool with family pets. However, we still think this model is worth the investment, given its methodical cleaning process and time-saving design.

_{Pool Type: Above-ground | Cleaning Cycle Time: Not applicable | Cleaning Coverage: Floor, cove | Brush Type: Pleated | Filter Type: Top-load filter basket | Smart Capabilities: No}

Final Verdict

We recommend the Aiper Scuba S1 our best overall pick, for hands-free cleaning of your in-ground pool. This model can scrub down the walls and floor of your pool and pick up very fine debris thanks to a dual filter system, and it does it all without a power cable. Our best for above-ground pools pick, the Aiper Scuba E1, is an excellent budget-friendly option, with a similar dual filtration system and a self-parking that brings it to the edge of your pool after cleaning for easy retrieval.

FAQ

• How do robotic pool cleaners work?

  Robotic pool cleaners use a power supply and onboard filtration to clean your pool, with little user intervention required during a cleaning cycle. They typically connect to a power supply outside the pool using a long power cord.

  "They are electric and plug into the wall. They operate independently from the rest of the pool. They are usually listed for a certain size of pool, so you should ensure that the robot is suitable for the size of your pool," says Dr. Claudia Duncan, owner and CEO of Professional Pool Management and member of the Pool & Hot Tub Alliance.

  You can also find battery-powered cordless models, which we prefer because operation is simpler and there's no cord to trip on. Once placed in the pool, the robot travels along the pool's floor and walls, collecting dirt and debris in an onboard canister, filter tray, or bag.Our best upgrade pick, the Dolphin Nautilus CC Supreme WiFi Operated Robotic Pool Cleaner, is capable of cleaning a pool's waterline, in addition to the floors and walls.

• How long do robotic pool cleaners last?

  These advanced pool cleaners involve plenty of moving parts and electronics, and the average lifespan of a robotic pool cleaner will vary, depending on use frequency and maintenance. "It depends on how much they are used. Pool cleaners run on a clock, so they generally have a set lifetime or a number of hours that they are able to run for," Duncan adds.

  However, most people will find that a robotic pool cleaner lasts for at least three to five years, with some extending the longevity of their machine to seven years or more with basic maintenance and occasional parts replacement.

• How much do robotic pool cleaners cost?

  “Robotic cleaners are the priciest yet the easiest pool cleaners to use,” explains Stewart Vernon, COO and founder of America’s Swimming Pool Company. On average, robotic pool cleaners cost between $500 and $1,200. Some budget robotic pool cleaners cost as little as $200 to $300 but are more limited in cleaning capacity and features. Options like advanced programmed steering, built-in Wi-Fi or Bluetooth, and multiple filter media types tend to increase the price of a robotic pool cleaner.

• Can you leave a robotic pool cleaner in the pool?

  It's certainly easier to leave a robotic pool cleaner in a pool, especially if it's a heavy model, but this could lead to excessive exposure to chlorine and wear on a cleaner's motor and other parts. Be sure to remove your robotic pool cleaner when adding chemicals to the water. While some of the best robotic pool cleaners feature a built-in timer that automatically runs the cleaner at certain intervals if it’s left in the pool, we recommend pulling your pool cleaner out overnight and dropping it back into your pool before starting your work day.

  Some robotic pool cleaners are designed to remain in your pool all the time, which is usually facilitated by a power cord. Our best for large pools pick, the Aiper Scuba S1 Pro, is battery-powered, but it has an economy mode that cleans your pool for a short time each day over an extended period of time, allowing you to leave it in the pool until it needs to be charged.
  

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